To protect data information in a data processing system from being lost, there is a need for a regular process in which the data is saved or backed up on a data storage media where the data storage media may be located either internally or externally from the data processing system. This regular process of saving data is often referred to as performing a “backup.”
In the case of files being corrupted due to hardware trouble and malfunctions or accidental infection by a computer virus or a computer worm, the data processing system may be restored to the state of the last backup using the back up files. However, upon restoring the data processing system to the state of the last backup, any files that have been modified since the last backup may not be able to be recovered.
Further, it is possible that one of the backed up files unknowingly contained a virus or a worm. Consequently, when the data processing system is restored using the backed up files, the system may still be contaminated and the files may still be corrupted.
Therefore, there is a need in the art to be able to recover files that have been modified since the last backup as well as a need in the art to ensure at least in part that the restored files do not contain any viruses or worms.